How Many Calories In Lettuce?

You may have heard that lettuce doesn't contain hardly any nutritional value, but how many calories are in lettuce? The answer depends on the type of lettuce.

Raw, iceberg lettuce offers very little in terms of nutritional value. In one iceberg lettuce leaf there is only 1 calorie and not much else to speak of. Iceberg lettuce does offer a trace amount of calcium and potassium, but the amount hardly registers on the scale.

In one cup of Iceberg lettuce there are 8 calories and in the entire head of lettuce (standard size) there are approximately 45 calories. With so few calories, it is no wonder why lettuce is considered a diet food.

Lettuce can fill your stomach up for a short period of time because of the bulk consistency of the leaves, which makes it even better for trying to lose weight. However, lettuce should not be eaten alone because there is very little nutrition found in the leaves especially iceberg.

Accompanying the lettuce with lean protein sources, such as chicken or shrimp is a great way to provide your body with a nutritional low calorie meal.
Most people add a lot of fattening salad dressings to the lettuce leaves. When this occurs, 50-150 extra calories can be added, depending on how much salad dressing you use. It is wise to order your salad dressing on the side when grabbing a salad in a restaurant. You can keep better track of your calories this way.